Elevator safety-alarm.



PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

P. E. CHAPMAN.

ELEVATOR SAFETY ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11. 1904.

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ELEVATOR SAFETY ALARM.

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PENROSE E. CHAPMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ELEVATOR SAFETY-ALARM- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1906.

Application filed April 11. 1904.. Serial No. 202,707.

To (ti/l whom, 710' may concern' Be it known that I, PENRosE E. CHAPMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator Safety- Alarms, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accomp anying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to safety devices for elevators or for lifts which are used for car rying freight and passengers either of the common reversible or the less common continuously-moving type and the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide a safety alarm or guard in the form of a tickler for the prevention of accidents that are usually caused by careless persons leaning into the hatchway or pathway of the elevator and being struck by the descending car or by persons leaning from the ascending car or platform and striking objects contiguous to the travel of the car, such objects being recited as floors, lintels, framework, or other obstructions, whereby many serious and fatal accidents are frequently caused.

A further object is to provide a safety device or alarm which shall prevent accidents to persons who may be at work underneath the elevator car or cage.

An important portion of my invention lies in the provision of suitable means for utilizing one or more of the well-known voluntary and still more rapid involuntary reactions of the human nerves and muscles in such a manner that an imperiled person will be alarmed and impelled to get out of the impending danger by exerting his own physical powers.

Experience has shown that some of the above-mentioned reactions are as follows:

First. l/Vhen one is struck by an object of even a very small size and light weight about the head or other exposed parts, the natural reflex tendency is to dodge, especially when the blow is unexpected.

Second. There exists the same tendency to dodge or jump when suddenly coming into contact with an object of high thermal conductivity, especially at any other temperature than that of the personas, for instance, a piece of cold or hot metal, stone, or crockery.

Third. The same tendency to dodge exists when the nerves are suddenly shocked by an electric current.

Fourth. The same tendency to dodge exists when the person comes in contact with a distinctly rough or spine-like surface or substance, such as small thorns, coarse manila rope, and the like, especially when touching the more delicate surfaces of the body, such as the face and neck.

Fifth. The same tendency exists when an object is passed rapidly before and near to the eyes, causing one to dodge back far enough to distinguish the object.

Sixth. The inevitable attraction of the attention when any object falls or strikes and causes a sound in the immediate vicinity, causing the party to look for the source of the object.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the elevator-shaft of a building, showing several floors of the building adjacent the shaft and an elevator in said shaft with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is adetail perspective view ofa channel-bar made use of in carrying out my invention. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of a channel-bar, showing the manner of attaching thereto alarm-creating devices. Fig. l is a similar view of a modification. Fig. 5 is an end view of a chain-link having its end flattened and perforated. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of an elevator-platform having a modified form of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of an elevator or hatchway gate having my invention applied thereto.

One of the approved methods of carrying out my invention cons'sts in placing or hanging upon the under side and exposed edge of the elevator-platform 1 and also from the exposed edge of the landing or floors 2 a series of small objects which shall form ti'cklers 3. The ticklers may be in the form of small chains, ropes, cords, cloth, or other suitable materf al arranged in such a manner that they w ll come in contact with or pass before the v's'on of the person who may be lean'ng into the path of the elevator car or platform 1 or lean'ng from the car in its upward passage, and said ticklers 3 may also be suspended, as shown in Fig. 1, from beneath the floor or landing 2 above the elevator-car in such a manner that sad tlcklers will contact with the person before the more dangerous objects are contacted with and so that there will be produced in and upon the person one or more of the reactions enumerated above, and this will cause the endangered person to jump out of danger.

In the preferred form of ticklers I use pieces of light chain suspended from one end and provided at the lower end wth a small bell 5. (See Fig. 3.) Sad bell preferably consists of a body having a slot 6 in its upper end, through which is passed a link of the chan, and a clapper 7, suspended from the lowermost cha n-link with n the bellbody; but it is obvious that instead of the bell I may use any common noise-producng substitute, such as a resonant fork.

The ticklers 3 may of course be of any length, depending upon the location in which they are placed as, for instance, in the lower part of Fig. 1. I have shown longer ticklers suspended at rarer intervals from the bottom of the car or elevator platform and having such lengths that a person at work under the car at the bottom of the elevator-shaft w.ll be warned of its downward approach by any or all of the phenomena referrred to .in the above paragraphs numbered 1. to 6, inclusive, but especially the paragraph numbered 6, and these ticklers may of course be fitted with the bells 5, as shown in Fig. 3, or they may descend upon a noise-producing metallic body at the bottom of the shaftsuch, for instance, as a common sheet of metal or a metallic trough 8, U-shaped in cross-section. (Shown at the bottom of Fig. 1.) Said U- shaped trough performs a double function, one of which is the production of sound upon contact therewith of the said ticklers and the other function being to receive the cha'ns and protect them from water which may be at the bottom of the shaft. The trough 8 is to be placed under the main and longer ticklers to retain or exclude liquids and also to prevent tangling with other apparatus which may be in the shaft beneath the elevator when the car is at the bottom.

The ticklers 3 may be charged with electricity from a common magneto or other common source of current 9, located conveniently upon the cross-beam 10 of the elevator and from which a suitable wire 1 1 leads to the channel-bars 12, from which the said ticklers are suspended, and whereby an endangered person will receive a slight and harmless shock.

My preferred manner of suspending the ticklers is by attaching their upper ends to the channel-bars 12 by inserting the ends of the upper link within suitable holes 1 3, formed in the bottom of said channel-bars, although other devices may be used for the purpose of fastening the chains to the channel-bars and to the parts from which they are to be suspended. In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a modified attaching means wherein the upper link 14 is flattened and perforated at 15, and

a screw or bolt 16 is passed through said perforation and through a perforation in the channel-bar 12 and engages a suitable head or nut 17. The channel-bars 12 are of such light construction that they may be bent or curved to fit var ous locations, such as that shown at the top of Fig. 1., and near the ends of said channel-bars they are provided with marks or cuts 18, whereby short pieces of the channel-bars may be read .ly broken off in order to reducether length in fitting them between posts or beams. (See F, g. 2.)

' The channel-bars are what I term yokes, as they each carry a series of ticklers, and they are made substantially U-shaped in cross-section in order that the fastenings for the chains may be concealed w thin said. U- shaped yokes. In Fig. 6 I have shown a space-gage wh'ch is provded with a front bar 19, at the ends of wh ch are two L-shaped brackets 20, and the channel bars or yokes 12 are in some cases secured, by means of bolts or rivets, to the sa d end pieces. The purpose of sai d space-gage is to insure the proper spacing, plac ng, and staggering of the yokes and ticklers by inexperienced persons, and in using the same the sad bar 19 is secured in position aga' nst the front of the car or platform at the bottom thereof, so that said end pieces w ll project inwardly, whereby the channel bars or yokes 12 may be secured to the sad end pieces in such a poslton that a series of t' cklers will be located at the proper distance from the edge of the object protected and so that the yokes may be properly spaced apart and secured to said end pieces. Of course it wll be seen that the multiple ticklers suspended from'said yokes may be tively smaller space between the individual ticklers, as shown in Fig. 1, and also indicated by the position of the tickler-apertures in the yokes shown in Fig. 6.

The front bar 19 may be used as a sign or name-plate, if desired.

In Fig. 7 I have shown my invention applied to a vertically-sliding elevator gate or door 21 in order to protect the same equally with the elevator-platform, and in many cases the ticklers 3 may be suspended from the lower edge of the gate where there is room enough beneath the same to attach efficient lengths. If the room is very limited between the gate and the floor, the usual lower bar of the gate should be removed, as the ticklers would interfere with the movement of the elevatorcar if allowed to touch the floor and project into the hatchway, and this is prevented by the construction shown in Fig. 7. In said view the lower horizontal bar of the gate has been removed, retaining the usual side pieces, and a yoke 12, carrying a series of ticklers, is inserted between the uprights of the gate, thus enabling existing guides and gates to be equipped at small cost, or in some cases new staggered. in order that there will be a rela-.

gates may replace the old ones, using the original guides.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a tickler-chain with some of the links roughened upon their outer surface and some with smooth surfaces.

What I claim is' 1. The combination with an elevator-platform, of yokes provided with perforations and arranged beneath the platform, fastening devices engaged in the perforations of said yokes, and a series of chains suspended from said fastening devices and having roughened exterior surfaces; substantially as specified.

2. The combination with an elevator-platform, of series of yokes secured to said platform, series of ticklers secured to said yokes and depending therefrom, and suitable sig naling devices carried by said ticklers, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an elevator-platform, of series of yokes secured to said platform, series of ticklers secured to said yokes, and a trough located in the elevator-shaft for receiving said ticklers, substantially as described.

4. The combination with an elevator-platform, of a spacing-gage, a yoke connected to said spacing-gage, and a series of ticklers depending from said yoke, substantially as described.

5. In an elevator safety-alarm, the combination with an elevatorplatform, of yokes secured to the under side of said platform, a series of chains depending from said yokes, a bell secured to the lower link of each chain, and a clapper within each bell secured to the lower link of each chain; substantially as described.

6. The combination with an elevator-platform, of yokes secured to the under side thereof, fastening devices carried by said form, of a spacing-gage secured to the under side thereof, a yoke connected to said spacing-gage which yoke is provided adjacent its ends with weakened points, and a series of ticklers depending from the yoke; substantially as specified.

8. The combination with an elevator-platform, of a spacing-gage secured to the under side thereof, a plurality of yokes secured to said spacing-gage in which yokes are formed weakened points, a series of ticklers depending from said yokes, signaling devices carried by the lower ends of said ticklers, and a trough located in the elevator-shaft for receiving said ticklers; substantially as specified.

9. In an elevator safety-alarm, the combination with an elevatorplatform, of a spacing-gage secured to the under side of said platform, a plurality of yokes carried by said gage, a series of ticklers depending from said yokes, a bell secured to the lower end of each tickler, a clapper within each bell secured to the lower end of each tickler, and a trough arranged in the lower end of the elevator-shaft E0 receive the ticklers substantially as speci- In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PENROSE E. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses:

ALFRED A. EIoKs, JOHN G. HIGDoN. 

